Systems and methods for transmission of data streams

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for real-time transmission of data streams are disclosed. A controller receives data representing selected stream parameters from a browser residing on a computing device. The controller transmits the received data to a video transmitting device. A transcoder receives a first data stream generated according to the selected stream parameters from the video transmitting device. The transcoder generates a second data stream from the first data stream, the second data stream formatted for browser display; and then transmits the second data stream to the browser. A user may remotely control the video transmitting device using the browser. A user may view data streams from multiple video transmitting devices using the browser.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/845,195, filed Jul. 11, 2013, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate to systems and methods fortransmission of data streams, and in particular, to systems and methodsfor real-time management and transmission of video and audio datastreams over networks.

BACKGROUND

The use of video and audio content is growing, such as for example, livevideo and video that are provided or generated by traditional viewers(so-called user generated content or UGC). Usage of mobile videoencoders/transmitters over cellular (including bonded cellular) andother mobile connection types (WiFi, microwave, etc.) networks is alsogrowing.

Many readily available mobile computing devices (e.g., smart phones,tablets) have sufficient computing capability and wireless transmissionperformance to deliver good quality video at low latency for livebroadcast.

Content providers (e.g., television stations and websites) may wish toencourage viewers (e.g. users) to send in their content for furtherdistribution and broadcast.

In consideration of these factors, more live video and audio content maybe delivered, which increases the need for management, transmission,switching, and routing of video and audio content.

Thus, there exists a need for an improved, easy to use system that willallow collection, selection and management of large volumes of live,real-time, or near real-time video and audio content for users andbroadcasters, or at least a useful alternative.

SUMMARY

In an aspect, there is provided a system for real-time transmission ofdata streams. The system includes a controller coupled to a browserresiding on a computing device and a video transmitting device adaptedto generate and transmit a first data stream comprising at least one ofvideo data and audio data. The controller is adapted to receive, fromthe browser, data representing selected stream parameters; and totransmit the received data to the video transmitting device. The systemalso includes a transcoder coupled to the browser and the videotransmitting device. The transcoder is adapted to receive, from thevideo transmitting device, the first data stream generated according tothe selected stream parameters; to generate a second data stream fromthe first data stream, the second data stream formatted for browserdisplay, and to transmit the second data stream to the browser.

The transcoder may generate the second data stream by transcoding thefirst data stream.

The second data stream may comprise a sequence of image files.

The second data stream may be transcoded to have a higher data rate thanthe first data stream.

The second data stream may include data reflective of at least one ofnetwork performance, status of the video transmitting device, andlocation of the video transmitting device.

The selected stream parameters may include at least one of a framerate,a resolution, and a data rate.

The transcoder may be coupled to the browser and to the videotransmitting device by way of a network.

The transcoder may be adapted to receive control data from the browserand transmit the control data to the video transmitting device toremotely control the video transmitting device.

The controller may be adapted to receive control data from the browserand transmits the control data to the video transmitting device toremotely control the video transmitting device.

The system may further include a video output device coupled to thevideo transmitting device, the video output device adapted to receive,from the video transmitting device, a third data stream.

The third data stream may be a full-rate data stream.

The third data stream may have a higher data rate than the first datastream.

The third data stream may be shifted in time relative to the first datastream.

The video transmitting device may be a first video transmitting device,and the controller may be further coupled to a plurality of videotransmitting devices including the first transmitting device.

The transcoder may be adapted to receive a data stream from each of atleast two video transmitting devices of the plurality of videotransmitting devices, and to transmit the received data streams to thebrowser.

The controller may be adapted to receive data reflecting a selection ofone of the data streams.

The transcoder may be a first transcoder, and the system may furtherinclude a plurality of transcoders including the first transcoder.

The controller may be adapted to receive, from the browser, datareflecting a selection of one of the plurality of transcoders.

The number of transcoders of the plurality of transcoders may bedynamically adjustable based on demand.

The controller may be adapted to transmit messages to the videotransmitting device.

The messages may include at least one of interruptible fold backmessages and text messages.

The transcoder may be adapted to transmit a data stream comprising videodata to the video transmitting device.

The data stream transmitted by the transcoder to the video transmittingdevice may be a return video stream.

In another aspect, there is provided a method for real-time transmissionof data streams. The method includes: receiving, by a controller from abrowser residing on a computing device, data representing selectedstream parameters; transmitting, by the controller to a videotransmitting device, the received data; receiving, by a transcoder fromthe video transmitting device, a first data stream generated accordingto the selected stream parameters; generating, by the transcoder, asecond data stream from the first data stream, the second data streamformatted for browser display; and transmitting, by the transcoder tothe browser, the second data stream.

The method may further include remotely controlling the videotransmitting device from the browser, including receiving by thetranscoder from the browser, control data, and transmitting, by thetranscoder to the video transmitting device, the control data.

The method may further include remotely controlling the videotransmitting device from the browser, including receiving, by thecontroller from the browser, control data; and transmitting, by thecontroller to the video transmitting device, the control data.

The method may further include automatically adjusting, at thetranscoder, a framerate of the second data stream based on feedback datareflecting a number of frames transmitted and a number of frames forwhich acknowledgement is received.

The method may further include receiving, by a video output device, athird data stream.

The third data stream may be a full-rate data stream.

The third data stream may have a higher data rate than the first datastream.

In a further aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storagemedium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, whenexecuted by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors toperform a method for real-time transmission of data streams, the methodcomprising: receiving, by a controller from a browser residing on acomputing device, data representing selected stream parameters;transmitting, by the controller to a video transmitting device, thereceived data; receiving, by a transcoder from the video transmittingdevice, a first data stream generated according to the selected streamparameters; generating, by the transcoder, a second data stream from thefirst data stream, the second data stream formatted for browser display;and transmitting, by the transcoder to the browser, the second datastream.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the followingdescription of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction withthe accompanying figures.

DRAWINGS

Various embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, withreference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of various components of a system fortransmission of video data streams and a high-level description of datapassed between components, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a network diagram illustrating a communication networkinterconnecting components of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a high-level block diagram of a computer device adaptable tofunction as components of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting exemplary blocks performed by thesystem of FIG. 1, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of various components of a system fortransmission of video data streams and a high-level description of datapassed between components in the context of a remote control scenariowherein a user (e.g. content consumer) wishes to access the state of aremote video source and control its operation, according to an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of various components of a system fortransmission of video data streams and a high-level description of datapassed between components in the context of a multi-viewer scenariowherein a user (e.g. content consumer) wishes to visualize the output ofmultiple video sources, according to an example embodiment;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate timeline diagrams showing management offramerate based on feedback, according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of various components of a system fortransmission of video data streams and a high-level description of datapassed between components in the context multi-viewer and remote controlfunctions to create a multipoint video distribution system in the cloud,according to an example embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is another schematic diagram of various components of a systemfor transmission of video data streams, according to an exampleembodiment.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where consideredappropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures toindicate corresponding or analogous elements or steps. In addition,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein. However,the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures andcomponents have not been described in detail so as not to obscure theembodiments generally described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

Systems and methods for real-time transmission of data streams areprovided.

According to an example embodiment, there is provided a system thatincludes a controller coupled to a browser residing on a computingdevice and a video transmitting device adapted to generate and transmita data stream comprising video data. The controller is adapted toreceive, from the browser, data representing selected stream parameters;and to transmit the received data to the video transmitting device. Thesystem also includes a transcoder coupled to the browser and the videotransmitting device. The transcoder is adapted to receive, from thevideo transmitting device, a first data stream generated according tothe selected stream parameters; to generate a second data stream fromthe first data stream, the second data stream formatted for browserdisplay, and to transmit the second data stream to the browser.

According to another example embodiment, there is provided a method forreal-time transmission of data streams. The method includes: receiving,by a controller from a browser residing on a computing device, datarepresenting selected stream parameters; transmitting, by the controllerto a video transmitting device, the received data; receiving, by atranscoder from the video transmitting device, a first data streamgenerated according to the selected stream parameters; generating, bythe transcoder, a second data stream from the first data stream, thesecond data stream formatted for browser display; and transmitting, bythe transcoder to the browser, the second data stream.

Some embodiments described herein may provide real-time transmission ofhigh quality, low latency video data streams over bonded networkconnections or a single connection using a mobile transmitter. Bondedconnections may be adaptively bonded as in U.S. application Ser. No.12/499,151 filed Jul. 8, 2009, the entire contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

Further embodiments described herein may provide for management of livevideo and audio data streams in a cloud computing configuration usingIP, with low latency video routing and switching in a cloud-based system(e.g. video and audio over IP) using a multi-viewer that incorporatesremote control of video transmitting devices.

Real time remote control of one or more transmitters over a bondedconnection, adaptively bonded or single connection via a web browser ornative application.

Further embodiments described herein may provide for distributed videoprocessing to address mobile transmitters that have low computingcapability.

Some embodiments described herein may provide for content selection andmanagement via a multi-viewer system incorporating pay per use,subscription, or other compensation scheme.

Further embodiments described herein may provide low latency multipointdistribution of video streams in the cloud based system using a manuallyor automatically scalable architecture where cloud computing resources(memory, CPU and/or network bandwidth) are manually or automaticallyscalable based on the demand for the services provided by the system.The system may monitor resource usage and the number of access pointsand scale cloud computing resources accordingly to provide dynamicscalability.

Embodiments described herein may provide improved, easy to use systemsand methods that enable collection, selection and management of largevolumes of live, real-time, or near real-time video and audio contentfor users and broadcasters, or at least useful alternatives. Someembodiments described herein may provide a system with, for example,improved latency, switching time, video resolution, perceived videoquality, cost, and ease of use, and other technical features.

Embodiments described herein may provide improved systems and methodsfor selecting video and audio content, such as in situations where theremay be a large amount of content streams delivered simultaneously. Somevideo recorded events may result in a large number of live video andaudio data streams arriving simultaneously at a destination, such as acentral control room of a service provider. The amount of content mayincrease if the video data streams include UGC. In video transmissionapplications, it may be necessary for a central control room to bothmodify settings of a remotely located transmitter. It may also benecessary for a central control room to see what video frames or shotsof the video data stream are available from multiple transmitters sothat they can select that one or more video data streams to convert tolive broadcast. In some embodiments, the improved systems and methodsmay provide a multi-viewer, remote control of transmitters, fastswitching, low latency, and the like.

Embodiments described herein may provide improved systems and methodsfor controlling the quality of video and audio content. Some users (e.g.video and audio content generators) are not skilled at using live videotransmission technology; nor at shooting live video as required for livebroadcast. It may be necessary for a centrally-located engineer tomanage settings (such as latency or resolution as non-limiting examples)on a transmitter (e.g. a video transmitting device) remotely, as theon-site camera crew or user may lack the expertise to transmit video innon-standard situations (e.g. poor connectivity). In some embodiments,the improved systems and methods may provide remote control of settingsand transmitters. In some embodiments, the improved systems and methodsmay provide bonded or adaptively bonded connections between recipientsand transmitters. In some embodiments, the improved systems and methodsmay provide fast switching by selecting high quality paths and switchingmechanisms. In some embodiments, the improved systems and methods mayprovide health and quality monitoring on the video and audio datastream, via overlays in a cloud-based system, for example. In someembodiments, the improved systems and methods may provide returncommunication between recipients and transmitters (e.g. interruptiblefold back (IFB), text, chat, return video, or other data feed). In thecase of return video, the transcoder(s) may be used to take video fromthe studio and convert it to a format that can be displayed on a user'ssmart phone (which may also serve as a video transmitting device) orother video transmitting device. Using this approach, the sameinfrastructure that is used to generate the preview stream can also beused to generate return video.

Embodiments described herein may provide improved systems and methodsfor compensating users for content. Users (viewers) providing UGC orother video and audio content may want to be compensated for theirdelivery of content. In some embodiments, the improved systems andmethods may provide supported payment mechanisms and a user scoring orrating system, including searching and selecting streams based onscoring and rating.

Embodiments described herein may provide improved systems and methodsfor managing network and computing resource limitations. Managing alarge number of simultaneous audio and video data streams may exceed thecapability of network and computing infrastructure in a studio. Forexample, the control room may be on a limited bandwidth connection tothe Internet, and may have many transmitters to control and monitor in amulti-viewer scenario. It may be important to manage bandwidth usage soas to avoid a network bottleneck from preventing full rate video fromarriving to the station in a timely manner.

In an instance such as a planned sporting event, the broadcaster mayhave a control room on site (or in a vehicle close by, for example) tomanage the various shots through a local switcher, and send a completepackage back to the station for broadcast to minimize costs associatedwith transmission. This may not be practical in a breaking news oremergency situation, or in a situation where multiple camera crews areat materially different locations related to the same breaking newsevent.

At a news event (or emergency or battle scene), a control room may havemultiple cameras to choose from, but limited bandwidth such that theyare unable to transmit full rate (high quality) video streams over an IPnetwork. Embodiments described herein may provide improved systems andmethods for managing these example network and computing resourcelimitations. Both of these situations (planned sporting event and newsevent) are examples where cloud computing resources (memory, CPU and/ornetwork bandwidth) which may be manually or automatically scalable basedon the demand for the services provided by the system provide benefit.

In some embodiments, the improved systems and methods may send lowbandwidth data stream to a cloud computing server, the studio or otherrecipient. In some embodiments, the improved systems and methods mayimplement a low bit rate transcode in a cloud based system (e.g.Scalable Vectors Graphics (SVG) of a user interface (UI), H.264 advancedvideo coding of bitmaps, state information and build displaytransmission). In some embodiments, the improved systems and methods mayenable scalable cloud computing. In some embodiments, the improvedsystems and methods may provide distributed video encoding. For example,using transmitters in the field to provide transcoding or otherfunctions under control of a cloud computing server.

Embodiments described herein may provide improved systems and methodsfor managing video encoder and transmitter resource limitations. Somevideo encoders and transmitters may have insufficient computingcapability to support the simultaneous transmission of a full rateaudio/video stream and a secondary stream that contains statusinformation and a video preview, for example.

Also, a transmitter in a remote location sending full quality audio andvideo to another location in bandwidth challenged conditions (e.g. cellnetworks, limited Internet connection) may need to send statusinformation and video preview data to another location (such as acontrol room in a central broadcast location).

Additionally, transmitters with limited computing or transmittingcapability (e.g. an iPhone, tablet, laptop, or the like) may need tooffload some of the computing and transmitting work elsewhere. Thetransmitters may be limited to sending low bitrate renderings of the UIand video preview or by sending state information and creating a virtualUI in a cloud computing server or at the central control room.

In some embodiments, the improved systems and methods may provideremotely switched transmission resolution and bit rate. In someembodiments, the improved systems and methods may perform transcodingand/or overlay of the user interface, health monitoring, performancestatistics or similar using a cloud computing server or local server.

Embodiments described herein may provide improved systems and methodsfor authenticating video and audio content, and transmitters. Televisionstations and other service providers receiving content may need a way toauthenticate the content and/or transmitter so they feel confidentputting it up for live broadcast. For instance, the broadcaster may wantto ensure that the video is being sent from the location being assertedby the person generating the content. In some embodiments, the improvedsystems and methods may provide per transmitter or other devicelicensing, geo-location based authentication, time of eventauthentication, user scoring or rating, and the like.

Embodiments described herein may provide improved systems and methodsfor sharing video and audio content. Broadcasters or other serviceproviders may want to share the live video and audio content (e.g., UGC)they collect with other broadcasters or affiliates. They may becompensated for the content they share.

Embodiments described herein may provide a scalable cloud-basedaudio/video system that supports remote control, multi viewing atadjustable bitrates and resolutions and multipoint distribution alongwith user authentication and payment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of various components of a system fortransmission of video data streams and a high-level description of datapassed between components according to some embodiments.

In particular, FIG. 1 depicts a Browser 10, a Web Interface 12, DataStorage Devices 14, Controller 16, Video Transmitting Devices 18, VideoOutput Devices 20, and a Transcoder Farm 22 including a plurality ofTranscoders 24.

Browser 10 resides or runs on a computing device, and may be any modernweb browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or thelike). As an example, Browser 10 may support HTML 5. Browser 10 may be areceiver side component for the video and audio data, but may alsotransmit data regarding desired video characteristics, control,parameters, and so on.

Web Interface 12 is a mechanism by which Browser 10 (and the computingdevice it resides or runs on) interacts with back-end Data StorageDevices 14 which contain information about Video Transmitting Devices18, Video Output Devices 20 and their respective settings. Web Interface12 may also reside or run on a computing device, as described below.

Data Storage Devices 14 (e.g., memory, and the like) could include arelational database (such as a SQL database), or other suitable datastorage mechanisms. Data Storage Devices 14 are operable to store datarecords relating to video and audio data streams, control data,parameters, and the like. One or more of Data Storage Devices 14 may becloud based, and may be accessible to computing devices through a cloudservices interface. Cloud computing generally is the use of computinghardware and software resources that are delivered as a service over anetwork to computing devices. Data Storage Devices 14 may include anytype of computer memory that is located either internally or externallysuch as, for example, RAM, read-only memory (ROM), CDROM,electro-optical memory, magneto-optical memory, EPROM, and EEPROM, FRAMor the like. In some embodiments, there may be one or more backupservers (not shown) that may duplicate some or all of the data stored onData Storage Devices 14. The backup servers may be desirable fordisaster recovery (e.g., to prevent undesired data loss in the event ofan event such as a fire, flooding, or theft). In some embodiments, thebackup servers may be directly connected but located at a differentphysical location.

Data Storage Devices 14 may be used to store data to provide videotime-shifting or video replay, as described below.

Controller 16 is a matching/dispatching service which connects to bothVideo Transmitting Devices 18, Transcoder Farm 22, and in someapplications, to Video Output Devices 20, and routes traffic betweenthem. Controller 16 may be implemented as a computing device, asdescribed below.

Each Video Transmitting Device 18 may be a transmitter (orcamera/transmitter combination, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, orthe like), which captures, encodes and sends a video and audio datastream to be broadcast (along with state information and videopreviews). Accordingly, Video Transmitting Device 18 is a transmitterside component for video and audio data, but may also receive dataregarding desired video characteristics, control, parameters, and so on.Video Transmitting Device 18 may include hardware for generating videoand audio data, a video and audio encoder, along with transmission andnetworking hardware. Video Transmitting Device 18 may be a dedicatedpurpose computing. Video Transmitting Device 18 may be implemented as acomputing device, as described below. In some embodiments, VideoTransmitting Device 18 may be a wireless mobile computing device, suchas a smart phone, a super phone, a tablet and other mobile device withone or more built-in cameras, and may be capable of capturing, encodingand transmitting video and audio data. Video Transmitting Device 18 maytransmit audio and video encoded data from a live source, for example avideo camera, a high-definition wireless mobile device such as a mobilephone with digital camera capabilities, a tablet computer, etc., or froma stored source like a disk or other storage media. Video TransmittingDevice 18 may refer to any sort of wireless mobile device being used totransmit data streams to a destination.

It is noted that the disclosure refers extensively to audio and videodata, in part because audio and video data constitute an example whereresources and computing capabilities may not be sufficient to provideadequate reliability based on a range of applications or userrequirements. Embodiments described herein may be used to improveresource usages, computing efficiency, and other performance aspects forother applications, outside of transmission of audio data or video data,including for example the various other examples provided below that maynot involve transmission or audio data or video data.

Each Transcoder 24 may be a computing device which receives encodedinformation from a Video Transmitting Device 18 and prepares it fordelivery to Browser 10. Optionally, each Transcoder 24 may be pairedwith a particular Video Transmitting Device 18 and thereby be designatedto receive encoded information from the particular Video TransmittingDevice 18. Transcoder 24 may perform additional processing, such as inrelation to a multipoint distribution scenario, for example. Transcoder24 may take control information from Browser 10, and relay it to VideoTransmitting Device 18 (via Controller 16) or Controller 16 may relaythis information directly to Video Transmitting Device 18. Additionally,Controller 16 may serve to act as a static host to allow remote controlwhen both the controllee and controller are behind a Network AddressTranslation (NAT), and perform the coding/proxying of the remote controldata (in both directions) so that the controlling user can be using anyrecent Browser 10, with no native clients or plugins required.

In some embodiments, Transcoder 24 may send return video, e.g., videofrom a studio, to a Video Transmitting Device 18. In such embodiments,Transcoder 24 may transcode the video into a format displayable on thatVideo Transmitting Device 18.

Transcoder Farm 22 represents a collection of Transcoders 24. TranscoderFarm 22 could be implemented as a cloud based service, and managed by athird party and serving multiple Television Stations or otherBroadcasters. Alternatively, Transcoder Farm 22 could be implementedusing dedicated hardware located in a specific location (such as thecentral office of a broadcasting company or station, or at a temporaryremote location for a special event) serving a single Television Stationor Broadcaster. Transcoder Farm 22 could also be automatically scalablein a cloud environment, so as to provide for additional computing,memory or network resources in cases where a major event causes a surgein the amount of content available (e.g., UCG). In this scenario, theload on Transcoder Farm 22 as monitored by Controller 16, which mayautomatically scale up and down the computing capability of TranscoderFarm 22 as required.

Each Video Output Device 20 is a decoder which takes encoded full-rate,broadcast quality audio/video and prepares it for broadcast to the endlocation (e.g. a television studio, a website or a content distributionnetwork (CDN) that provides website content to many userssimultaneously). Video Output Device 20 may be a dedicated purposecomputing device or it may be cloud computing resource that transmitsdata according to a Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) or similarstreaming protocol to a CDN. The streaming protocol may be a standardstreaming protocol or a proprietary streaming protocol.

The components depicted in FIG. 1 may be interconnected by way of one ormore networks, across a plurality of wireless transfer channels orlinks, and for each such channel or link there may be a receiver andtransmitter side components, which may be different depending on thedata between transmitted and received.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a Network 26 interconnecting Browser 10,Web Interface 12, Controller 16, Video Transmitting Device 18, VideoOutput Device 20, and Transcoder 24. Of course, Network 26 may alsointerconnect additional components, e.g., one or more additional VideoTransmitting Devices 10, one or more additional Video Output Device 20,and/or one or more additional Transcoders 24 (e.g., as part ofTranscoder Farm 22, or one or more Data Storage Devices 14). Some or allof these components may be distributed over a wide geographic area oreven globally. This allows, for example, video to be transmitted fromremote locations in the field.

Network 26 may be any network capable of carrying data including theInternet, Ethernet, plain old telephone service (POTS) line, publicswitch telephone network (PSTN), integrated services digital network(ISDN), digital subscriber line (DSL), coaxial cable, fiber optics,satellite, mobile, wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi, WiMAX), SS7 signaling network,fixed line, local area network, wide area network, and others, includingany combination of these.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a computing device 30 that may beadapted to provide one or more of the components depicted in FIG. 1.Multiple computing devices 30 may be adapted to provide respective onesof the components depicted in FIG. 1. For example, a computing device 30may be adapted to host Browser 10, another computing device 30 may beadapted to host Web Interface 12. Yet other computing devices 30 may beadapted to provide Controller 16, Video Transmitting Devices 18, VideoOutput Devices 20, and Transcoders 24.

So, in embodiments, each computing device 30 may be any network-enabledcomputing device, such as a personal computer, workstation, server,portable computer, mobile device, personal digital assistant, laptop,tablet, smart phone, WAP phone, an interactive television, video displayterminals, gaming consoles, electronic reading device, and portableelectronic devices or a combination of these.

As depicted in FIG. 3, computing device 30 may include at least onemicroprocessor 32, memory 34, at least one I/O interface 36, and atleast one network interface 38.

Microprocessor 32 may be any type of processor, such as, for example,any type of general-purpose microprocessor or microcontroller (e.g., anIntel™ x86, PowerPC™, ARM™ processor, or the like), a digital signalprocessing (DSP) processor, an integrated circuit, a field programmablegate array (FPGA), or any combination thereof. Microprocessor 32 mayalso include special purpose logic for performing real-time audio/videoencoding and decoding (such as Intel™ Quick Sync or the like).

Memory 34 may include a suitable combination of any type of computermemory that is located either internally or externally such as, forexample, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), compactdisc read-only memory (CDROM), electro-optical memory, magneto-opticalmemory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), andelectrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or thelike.

I/O interfaces 36 enable computing device 30 to interconnect with inputand output devices. For example, when computing device 30 is adapted toprovide video transmitting device, one or more I/O interfaces 36 mayenable computing device 30 to interconnect with one or more cameras. I/Ointerface 36 may enable computing device 30 to interconnect with otherinput/output devices such as a keyboard, mouse, touch screen andmicrophone, display screen, speaker, or the like.

Network interfaces 38 enables computing device 30 to communicate withother components by connecting to one or more networks such as network26. Computing device 30 may be operable to access network connections byway of network interfaces 38 singly or in unison.

An example process flow involving the components of FIG. 1 will bedescribed with reference to the data links depicted in FIG. 1 and theflow chart blocks depicted in FIG. 4.

Browser 10 may request a connection to a Video Transmitting Device 18(or multiple Video Transmitting Devices 18) through Web Interface 12(link A001 of FIG. 1).

Web Interface 12 relays this information to Controller 16 along with theset of user selected parameters (link A002 of FIG. 1; block 402 of FIG.4). The parameters may relate to encoding parameters for a compressedrendering of the preview screen and the Transcoder channel to whichvideo and audio data should be directed. These parameters may include,but are not limited to resolution (e.g., 320×240 or 640×480), frame rate(e.g., 1 frame per second or 30 frames per second), bit rate for therequested stream (e.g., 40 kilobits per second or 512 kilobits persecond), color depth (4, 8, 16 or 32 bits per pixel), transcoderavailability, preview image versus entire video encoding device UI andcost. Selection of these parameters may not be mutually exclusive andthat Controller 16, Browser 10 and/or Transcoder 24 may makecalculations and apply predetermined rules to ensure that the result ofprovided parameter set results in a reasonable outcome.

Controller 16 then communicates with Video Transmitting Device 18 (linkA003 of FIG. 1; block 404 of FIG. 4) indicating the parameters, such asfor example, parameters of the compressed rendering of the previewscreen (e.g. stream), and the Transcoder channel to which it should bedirected. Controller 16 may also transmit information indicating whichuser has taken remote control of Video Transmitting Device 18 so thatVideo Transmitting Device 18 can display this information. VideoTransmitting Device 18 may also indicate to the user through graphicalor other means that it is under remote control.

Video Transmitting Device 18 responds to Controller 16 with itscapabilities, location (e.g., GPS coordinates), and status (link A004 ofFIG. 1). Video Transmitting Device 18 may also report networkperformance information (e.g., data rates, latency, lost packets, etc.)This information flow may be continuously occurring (e.g., in realtime), so that Controller 16 has up-to-date information. Alternatively,Video Transmitting Device 18 can continually report status information(capabilities, location etc.) to Controller 16 at regular intervals viapacket-based communication. Any such information received by Controller16 may be relayed to Browser 10 for display to an operator.Conveniently, this allows the operator to monitor operating conditionsof Video Transmitting Devices 18 in the field. Any such information mayalso be stored by Controller 16, e.g., in Data Storage Devices 14, forlater retrieval and analysis. Controller 16 monitors data regardingTranscoder Farm 22 (link A005 of FIG. 1) for computing, network andmemory load information to determine which Transcoder 24 VideoTransmitting Device 18 should send its data to. Transcoder Farm 22 maycontinuously provide this information to Controller 16. Alternatively,Transcoder Farm 22 can report computing, network and memory loadinformation and network parameters (addresses etc.) to Controller 16 atregular intervals.

Video Transmitting Device 18 may transmit audio and video that may haveoriginated from cameras or some other advanced capture method, or theinformation may have been pre-captured and saved to a storage media tobe transferred at a later time. After preparing the audio and video datainto buffers, Video Transmitting Device 18 may provide a steady andcontinuous flow of video and audio data to a receiver (e.g. Browser 10or Video Output Device 20) as will be described herein. The systemoptionally provides the ability to modify the desired video quality atthe source. Video quality can be dynamically adjusted (improved ordegraded) in response to real-time feedback regarding network conditionsthat is obtained by Video Transmitting Device 18, from Controller 16,from Video Output Device 20 and/or from Network 26 both locally andremotely.

At Video Transmitting Device 18, the video source data may be preparedfor transmission and moved into the video buffers, which may contain astorage component used to store data or video information. Many videobuffers for example could be used and the data may be divided betweenthe various buffers with each video buffer providing data to a separatenetwork connection. Captured information can include, for example,normal, high or extremely high definition audio and video content.Preparation may include advanced compression (for example moving pictureexpert group (MPEG) compression), packetization and other processesdesigned to improve transmission. In some embodiments, video data from asingle source, either live or stored, can be divided into multiple videostreams using a technique like Multiple Descriptive Coding (MDC). Othertechniques can also be used to break the video data stream intodifferent packets for delivery over various links. The division of thedata is intended to allow for wireless delivery of data in one or morevideo buffers over one or more wired or wireless network links, over oneor more wired or wireless networks (e.g., Network 26 of FIG. 2). Each ofthe processes shown can be executed within one or more computer systemsand the division of labor between computer systems may be based onprocessing unit utilization, network capacity or memory restrictions.Depending on conditions and processing unit availability, a complexvideo splitting method like MDC can be used or a packetization andsplitting method could be substituted in its place, as disclosed forexample in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/499,151, filed Jul. 8, 2009, thecontents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety).Within this encoding stage, the resolution, number of frames-per-second(FPS) and encoding quality is determined and the output enables dynamicadjustment of the quantity of information that is placed into the videobuffers and subsequently transmitted.

Accordingly, Video Transmitting Device 18 generates a compressedrendering of the audio and video signal it receives (e.g. audio andvideo data stream) and sends the rendering to Transcoder 24 (link A006aof FIG. 1; block 406 of FIG. 4) over a wired or wireless network(s)(e.g., Network 26 of FIG. 2). Video Transmitting Device 18, if it hassufficient computing capability, may optionally encode the video that isrendered in compressed form to its Screen or preview window, includingstatus, performance as user interface information, and send thiscompressed rendering to Transcoder 24 (the “screen rendering”). It mayseparately encode the incoming audio and video stream using parameters(e.g., resolution, frame rate and data rate) that are provided byController 16 or Browser 10 to provide a “preview stream”. If the streamis directly encoded, the UI, status and performance information may beoverlaid in the cloud by Transcoder 24.

Note that when Video Transmitting Device 18 has low computingcapabilities, Video Transmitting Device 18 may transmit full rateaudio/video to Video Output Device 20 or Transcoder Farm 22. VideoOutput Device 20 or Transcoder Farm 22 may decode and re-encode (i.e.,transcode) this stream to the resolution, frame rate and bit rate thatis requested for preview purposes in Browser 10. This may be based onthe Full Rate Audio/Video being sent to Video Output Device 20 fromVideo Transmitting Device 18 for broadcast (link A010 of FIG. 1),thereby offloading the computational effort from the low-capabilityVideo Transmitting Device 18. Video Output Device 20 may provide some ofthe video and audio processing described herein in relation to differentcomponents to offload computational requirements of those components.Video Output Device 20 may forward the screen rendering or previewstream to Transcoder 24 for further processing (link A006b of FIG. 1).Video Output Device 20 might also be used to perform therendering/preview in cases where Video Transmitting Device 18 has highcomputing capabilities, but faces network or connection bandwidthconstraints. In situations where a low computing capability VideoTransmitting Device 18 is not transmitting full rate audio/video, it maybe encode and transmit a low rate, compressed rending of the video anduser interface (in the case where remote control is used).

Alternatively, Controller 16, under control of Browser 10 (and thereforea user operating Browser 10), may instruct a specific Video TransmittingDevice 18 to switch from low rate audio/video (used for preview and/orremote control purposes or in a multi-viewer) to a full rate audio/videostream when the specific Video Transmitting Device 18 is selected forfull rate audio/video output in a multi-viewer scenario (see FIG. 6) orwhen the User requests a full rate preview under remote control.

Transcoder 24 is operable to take the compressed screen rendering andre-encode it in a browser-friendly format (e.g., static JPEG images,supported compressed video formats or similar) which is sent to Browser10 (link A007 of FIG. 1; block 408 of FIG. 4). The browser-friendlyformat may be described in the data provided by Browser 10 to Controller16.

In accordance with some embodiments, Browser 10 is operable tocommunicate control information back to the specific Transcoder 24 (linkA008 of FIG. 1) which is part of Transcoder Farm 22. The specificTranscoder 24 is operable to translate the control information and relayit to Video Transmitting Device 18 for processing (link A009 of FIG. 1).In other embodiments, Browser 10 is operable to communicate controlinformation to Controller 16. Controller 16 is operable to relay thecontrol information to the appropriate Transcoder 24 for translation andto Video Transmitting Device 18 for processing. The control informationmay include remote control information for controlling VideoTransmitting Device 18, for example.

In some embodiments, Controller 16 may relay messages to VideoTransmitting Devices 18, in the form of interruptible fold back (IFB)messages, chat messages, text messages, or the like. Such messages maybe received by Controller 16 from, for example, a studio operator or auser operating Browser 10.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of various components of a system fortransmission of video data streams and a high-level description of datapassed between components in the context of a remote control scenariowherein a user wishes to access the state of a remote video source andcontrol its operation according to some embodiments.

One scenario in which the system may be used is in remotely controllinga Video Transmitting Device 18, which is described hereinafter withreference to the data links depicted in FIG. 5.

In this scenario, a remote user requests a connection to a specificVideo Transmitting Device 18 via Browser 10 by contacting Web Interface12 (link B001 of FIG. 5).

Web Interface 12 then reports the request to Controller 16, includingthe parameters relating to compressed rendering of the preview screen(e.g. frame rate, resolution and target bitrate of the compressedrendering that will be viewed in Browser 10, desired video dimension ofthe preview video to be sent to Browser 10) (link B002 of FIG. 5).Selection of these parameters is not mutually exclusive and thatController 16, Browser 10 and/or Transcoder 24 may make calculations andapply predetermine rules to provide ensure that the result of providedparameter set results in a reasonable outcome.

Controller 16 may receive information from Video Transmitting Device 18regarding its capabilities (in terms of computational capability, memoryavailability, ability to encode multiple simultaneous video streams andavailable transmission bandwidth) (link B003 of FIG. 5).

Controller 16 is operable to receive load information (e.g. computationload, memory availability and network bandwidth available) fromTranscoder Farm 22 to select the best available Transcoder 24 or toautomatically provision additional Transcoders 24 as necessary (e.g. inembodiments in which Transcoder Farm 22 is automatically scalable). Thatselection may be related to both the load on the particular Transcoders24 and the location of the particular Video Transmitting Device 18relative to Transcoder Farm 24, which could itself be distributedgeographically in the cloud so as to minimize latency between VideoTransmitting Device 18 and Transcoder 24 or Video Transmitting Device 18and Video Output Device 20 (link B004a of FIG. 5). Transcoder Farm 22 isoperable to respond with the particular Transcoder 24 to be utilized(link B004b of FIG. 5), which in this illustrative example is Transcoder1 (FIG. 5).

Controller 16 then provides the Transcoder channel to Video TransmittingDevice 18 based on reports from Transcoder Farm 22, and the parametersof the desired compressed rendering based on the capabilities of VideoTransmitting Device 18 (link B005 of FIG. 5), and the capabilities ofBrowser 10 (or of the bandwidth of the internet connection available toBrowser 10 and the Internet). The data reported by Transcoder Farm 22 toController 16 may include, but are not limited to current computationload information, memory usage information, network bandwidthinformation along with available capacity for each of these parameters.Data may be reported periodically, when computational loads exceed apreset threshold or when Controller 16 requests this information.

Video Transmitting Device 18 is operable to generate a compressedrendering of the Video Transmitting Device Screen, Video Output, or UserInterface which is then sent to the specified Transcoder 24 over asingle or bonded connection. This compression (which will may involve alower resolution, lower bitrate and frame rate) may enable efficient useof bandwidth (e.g. Video Transmitting Device 18 may be simultaneouslytransmitting full-rate video to Video Output Device 20 for broadcast),and may minimize latency (which may improve the responsiveness for theuser controlling the device).

Video Transmitting Device 18 may send its state information and videopreview in various ways. For example, Video Transmitting Device 18 maysend a low quality complete representation which Transcoder 24 convertsto an efficient Browser-friendly format displayable in Browser 10. Asanother example, Video Transmitting Device 18 may send a low qualityvideo stream, and UI state information or UI vector graphicsrepresentation. Transcoder 24 dynamically renders a UI and overlays iton the video stream before or after rendering the browser format.Transcoder 24 may also introduce current connectivity statistics and orstream state to the render overlay. As a further example, VideoTransmitting Device 18 may send a full rate stream to the Video OutputDevice 20 (link B006a of FIG. 5). Video Output Device 20 renders a lowerbit rate version and sends that to Transcoder 24 for conversion (linkB006b of FIG. 5). Again, Transcoder 24 may overlay connectionstatistics/status as necessary. This method may be more suitable foroutput verification. Video Transmitting Device 18 may also send a fullrate stream to Transcoder 24 and Transcoder 24 may then decode andre-encode (i.e., transcode) the audio/video stream to the low rate,lower resolution browser friendly format that is required for renderingin Browser 10. The state information for Video Transmitting Device 18may include, but is not limited to network connection status(bandwidth), overall stream health indicators, latency for each or asubset of the connections and/or information regarding the targetencoder bitrates, status of UI buttons/controls, etc.

In the field, Video Transmitting Devices 18 are often bandwidthconstrained (e.g. mobile devices using cell networks or slow DSL linesto transmit). By compressing the video preview from a Video TransmittingDevice 18 to Transcoder 24, the solution described minimizes thebandwidth required for the multi-viewer and remote control functions tooccur, allowing for more of the limited bandwidth to be used to providethe full rate video to Video Output Device 20. This reduced bandwidthmay also have the advantage of reducing the cost of providing the remotecontrol and multi-viewer service.

Once Video Transmitting Device 18 has sent its information, Transcoder24 then decodes the compressed rendering from Video Transmitting Device18 and re-encodes it in a browser-friendly format (B007 of FIG. 5).

Transcoder 24 sends that new screen rendering to Browser 10 (link B008of FIG. 5). By re-encoding and transmitting in a browser-friendly format(e.g. static JPEG via WebSocket (HTML 5), supported compressed videoformats or similar), the end user may use any modern browser withoutworrying about compatibility with Video Transmitting Device 18.

In some embodiments, the re-encoded stream sent by Transcoder 24 toBrowser 10 may have a higher data rate than the stream received byTranscoder 24 from Video Transmitting Device 18. Such an increase in thedata rate may result from re-encoding the screen rendering into abrowser-friendly format displayable in Browser 10 without a browserplugin. In one embodiment, the data rate of the re-encoded stream may be4-10 times higher than the data rate of the stream received from VideoTransmitting Device 18.

Now seeing the screen rendering of Video Transmitting Device 18 inBrowser 10, the user can send control commands to Video TransmittingDevice 18 via Browser 10. These may include Mouse events, keyboardevents, gestures, Start/Stop stream commands, commands to change thelatency, input format or video resolution along with chat, text orreturn audio or video direction generated from Browser 10. Any type ofsettings or parameter change used by Video Transmitting Device 18 mayalso be sent as a control command.

In accordance with some embodiments, the control commands may betranslated by Controller 16 or Transcoder 24 to match the capabilitiesof Video Transmitting Device 18 (link B010 of FIG. 5) and may beprocessed by Video Transmitting Device 18 or an operator of VideoTransmitting Device 18, such as in the case of text, chat or audioinstructions (e.g. to change positioning of the camera to obtain adifferent shot). In other example embodiments, such as the case wherethe camera or Video Transmitting Device 18 has integrated pan, tilt andzoom, the control commands may be processed by Controller 16 includingtext, chat or audio instructions and converted to equivalent commandsthat are processed, interpreted and automatically acted upon by VideoTransmitting Device 18.

As this occurs, Video Transmitting Device 18 may still be sending screenrenderings, which will reflect the changes requested by the user back tothe user via Browser 10, allowing for further control commands to besent based on the new state of Video Transmitting Device 18.

When a Video Transmitting Device 18 is under remote control, it isconvenient to have a method of clearly indicating this state. Forexample, the display can be surrounded by a border with a specificcolour. This is a non-limiting illustrative example, and othermechanisms may be used to indicate state.

It may also be convenient to show on Video Transmitting Device 18 who(user name or other user identification) has initiated a remote controlsession with that Video Transmitting Device 18.

When a Video Transmitting Device 18 is under remote control, it may bedesirable to enable local lock-out of the user interface on that VideoTransmitting Device 18 so that the user in the field is not attemptingto adjust controls while they are being adjusted under remote control.This is an optional feature.

Access to remote control may be permitted via user access levels andcredentials set by rules managed in Controller 16. Controller 16 isoperable to present a UI via Browser 10 and this UI may allow forspecific users to have “viewer only” privileges (i.e., they can view oneor more remote control sessions that are in progress but they cannotinitiate remote control sessions); “full control” privileges (i.e., theycan initiate one or more remote control sessions that is in progress butthey cannot initiate remote control sessions); or “super user”privileges (i.e., they can do everything that allows for “full control”and they can also stop other remote control sessions and perform otheradministrative tasks).

Although only one Browser 10 is shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to havemultiple remote control sessions (with video preview and control of aVideo Transmitting Device 18) simultaneously.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of various components of a system fortransmission of video data streams and a high-level description of datapassed between components in the context of a multi-viewer scenariowherein a user wishes to visualize the output of multiple video sourcesaccording to some embodiments.

Another application suited to this system is that of a multi-viewer,where the user (content consumer or content manager) wishes to previewnumerous live video inputs simultaneously in a single location, so as tochoose which video input (or inputs) to broadcast (provided to contentconsumers), which is described hereinafter with reference to the datalinks depicted in FIG. 6.

For this scenario, Video Transmitting Devices 18 may have already beenpaired with Transcoders 24 as discussed herein.

Multiple Video Transmitting Devices 18 are operable to send compressedvideo previews to multiple Transcoders 24, generally via bondedconnections or adaptively bonded connections (link C001 of FIG. 6).

Again, while not specified in FIG. 6, it should be noted that a lowcomputing capability Video Transmitting Device 18 may have its previewcompressed by a Video Output Device 20 that they may be attached to (asper link A006b of FIG. 1). Alternatively, a low computing capabilityVideo Transmitting Device 18 may send a low rate audio/video stream toTranscoder 24 and when selected for output to Video Output Device 20,switch (as dictated by Controller 16) to a high rate audio/video stream.As outlined above, Video Transmitting Devices 18 with sufficientcomputing capability can send simultaneous low rate and high rateaudio/video streams. The low rate stream may be used for previewpurposes and the high rate stream may be for fast switching to VideoOutput Device 20, should the specific Video Transmitting Device 18 beselected for output.

In some embodiments, Video Transmitting Devices 18 may switch betweensending low rate and high rate audio/video streams on demand, e.g., inresponse to a request from Controller 16. Such requests may be madeautomatically, for example, in response to changing network conditions,as monitored at Controller 16. Such requests may also be made manually,e.g., by an operator of Browser 10, which are relayed by Controller 16to Video Output Device 24.

Transcoders 24 are operable to send video previews from their respectiveVideo Transmitting Devices 18 in a browser-friendly format (link C002 ofFIG. 6).

In some embodiments, Transcoders 24 may send video previews to Browser10 in a uniform format (e.g., same resolution, same framerate, etc). So,when Transcoders 24 receives video previews from their respective VideoTransmitting Devices 18 in disparate formats, Transcoders 24 may applycorresponding disparate transcoding operations to transcode the videopreviews into a uniform format.

The user then selects (via Browser 10) the video feed desired to be sentto Video Output Device (link C003 of FIG. 6), e.g., the video feed fromVideo Transmitting Device 1 as depicted.

In some embodiments, an operator in a control room, operating Browser10, may request an expanded view of a video preview from a particularVideo Transmitting Device 18, e.g., from amongst several video previewsfrom several Video Transmitting Devices 18. In response to a request forsuch an expanded view, new pre-defined parameters for a compressedrendering of the preview screen are sent to Controller 16, for relay tothe particular Video Transmitting Device 18. Typically, the newparameters reflect a modest increase in frame rate, bitrate orresolution of the video preview. So, an expanded view may be used, forexample, by the operator to more closely inspect and thus better assessthe quality of a shot before selecting a stream for broadcasting. Theoperator may of course toggle off the expanded view when it is no longerrequired, causing the lower parameters for the compressed rendering ofthe preview screen to be used once again.

Controller 16 then routes connection between selected Video TransmittingDevice 18 and Video Output Device 20 (link C004 of FIG. 6) based oninput from Browser 10.

Full Rate Audio/Video (full bitrate, full frame rate, full resolution)may then be sent to Video Output Device 20 by the selected VideoTransmitting Device 18 (FIG. 3-005).

While FIG. 6 depicts a single Video Output Device 20 for clarity, thesystem is not limited to a single Video Output Device 20, so each VideoTransmitting Device 18 may be sending data to a different Video OutputDevice 20 as per the routing instructions supplied by Controller 16.

For clarity it should be noted that when a full rate audio/videoconnection is selected, it may be routed directly from a selected VideoTransmitting Device 18 to Video Output Device 20 because this providesthe lowest latency and fastest switching of the selected video stream.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B illustrate timeline diagrams showing the managementof framerates based on feedback. In particular, as detailed below,frame-rates may be dynamically and automatically adjusted based onfeedback. Such management of framerates may be performed, for example,at Transcoder 24 to manage the frame-rate for the browser-friendly videopreviews sent to Browser 10. However, management of framerates asdisclosed herein may also be performed at any other components of thesystems described herein that transmit video frames.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show a flow of preview frames in a video previewaccording to an example embodiment, where J is a video preview framethat has been sent (e.g., a JPEG file) and A is an acknowledgement thatthe frame has been received. K is the difference between the number ofvideo preview frames sent and the number of acknowledgements that thoseframes have been received (i.e., K=#J−#A). In an embodiment, K may becalculated each time a preview frame is generated, thus varying thecalculation (polling) interval according to the framerate. In anotherembodiment, the calculation of K may occur at a constant interval.

With reference to FIG. 7A, in some embodiment, when the number of framesbeing sent relative to the acknowledgements being returned (K) growsbeyond a pre-defined value (X), i.e., when K>X, the rate at whichpreview frames (J) are sent, i.e., the transmission framerate, isreduced. This causes some preview frames captured in the field to beskipped. The transmission framerate may be increased once the number ofacknowledgements (#A) catches up to the number of frames (#J).

In an embodiment, the decrease in transmission framerate is handled asan integer decimation (1, ½, ⅓, ¼, etc.) of the initial transmissionframerate. This allows “stuttering” in the video preview feed to beavoided. For example, if the initial video preview transmissionframerate is 30 frames per second, the first reduction would be to 15frames per second, then to 10 frames per second, then 7.5 frames persecond, then 6 frames, and so on.

With reference to FIG. 7B, in some embodiments, when the number offrames being sent relative to the acknowledgements being returned (K)decreases beyond a predefined threshold value (X), i.e., when K<X, therate at which preview frames (J) are sent is increased towards a targetframerate. In an embodiment, this transmission framerate may beincreased according to a variable interval which takes into account anysubsequent decimations of the framerate. For example, an initialinterval (e.g. 10 seconds) may be doubled (e.g. to 20 seconds) if thetransmission framerate needs to be reduced again after a previousincrease in the transmission framerate. In an embodiment, similar todecreasing the transmission framerate, increasing the transmissionframerate may include applying a reversed integer decimation. So, forexample, if the current transmission framerate is at ¼ of the targetrate, it is increased to ⅓ of the rate, then to ½, and so on.

X may be a specific number of frames, or may be a function of a targetnumber of frames based on a variety of factors, including, e.g., factorsspecific to the transmission mechanism or the desired latency. In anembodiment, X may be expressed as a function of the exponential movingaverage (EMA) of K, e.g., X=1.25*EMA(K), where the smoothing value ofthe EMA of K is set based on information about the nature of the networkconnection.

In some embodiments, a “time-shifting” effect may be created by sendingthe video preview at a very low latency (e.g. 1 second) and sending thefull rate video at a higher latency (e.g. 8 seconds). A “time-shifting”effect may also be created by recording video on a Video TransmittingDevice 18 for later playback (e.g., at the time that the operatorselects the feed from that Video Transmitting Device 18).

So, an operator may use the low rate video preview to scan availablevideo feeds and then select a desired full rate feed, and the“time-shifting” effect ensures that what the operator sees on the videopreview will be transmitted to the Video Output Device 20. In contrast,when there is no “time-shifting” effect, the operator will only be ableto select the audio/video from that particular Video Transmitting Devicefrom the point of selection forward.

The “time-shifting” effect is further described with reference to anexample scenario. In this scenario, an operator views a video previewfrom a Video Transmitting Device 18 with one second latency, whichpreviews a full rate video feed with an 8 second latency from the VideoTransmitting Device 18, and there is an initial five second delaybetween the time the operator selects the preview for transmission to aVideo Output Device 20 (at time t=0 s), and the time the first framesfrom the video transmitter are sent to the video output device (at timet=5 s).

In the absence of the “time-shifting” effect, the first frame from theVideo Transmitting Device 18 would arrive at the Video Output Device 20at t=13 s (initial 5 second set-up delay plus 8 second latency), andwould start with the frames captured at t=5 s. In contrast, in thepresence of the “time-shifting” effect, while the first frame stillarrives at the Video Output Device 20 at t=13 s, the first framescorrespond to the frames captured at t=−1 s, i.e., the time the operatorselects the preview for transmission (t=0 s), minus the 1 secondlatency.

As will be appreciated, the duration of the “time-shifting” may be usercontrolled and set to a desired value (e.g., start full rate video 3seconds before the moment the preview video is selected by the operator)to allow the operator to fully preview a scene and then, deciding thatit was of interest, select it for transmission by full rate video.

As noted, “time-shifting” may be provided by recording video data atVideo Transmitting Device 18, however, the video data could also berecorded elsewhere to achieve the same effect. For example, in anotherembodiment, video data for “time-shifting” may be recorded at DataStorage Devices 14 or in the cloud. In a particular embodiment, videodata may be recorded in a circular buffer, and pointers may be used tolocate the position in the buffer to save data to, and the position inthe buffer to read data from. The size of this buffer may be userdefinable, and may be adjusted dynamically during operation.

Video data may also be recorded at Data Storage Devices 14 or in thecloud for later retransmission and playback. Video data may be recordedin response to a user request (on demand), e.g., from an operator ofVideo Transmitting Device 18 or an operator of Browser 10. Video datamay also be recorded according to a schedule, or in response to otheruser-defined conditions being met (e.g., available bandwidth exceeds apre-defined threshold).

In a scenario where UGC is involved or when a Video Transmitting Device18 is owned and operated by a user (content provider) who desirescompensation for the contribution of their full rate audio/videocontent, the multi-viewer system is operable to support viewing of lowrate audio/video streams without compensation to the content provider,in some example embodiments. However, when a full rate audio/videostream is selected (switched to Video Output Device 20) and Controller16 indicates that this stream is a “pay” stream, the broadcaster (orother content consumer) may compensate the content provider on a per useor for the duration of stream use, for example. Other compensationschemes may also be used.

To provide this feature, content consumers may agree in advance or atthe time of full rate audio/video stream selection to the compensationthat will be provided to content providers. Controller 16 is operable tomonitor the full rate audio/video stream usage and compute the monetaryor other compensation that is due from the content user to the contentprovider. The operator of the multi-viewer system may also receivecompensation for the use of the system.

Content consumers and managers may want to know that the content theyare receiving is from a trusted source and a number of elements of theproposed system help to ensure that the content can be trusted.Authentication may be achieved in a variety of ways.

For example, all devices may incorporate a unique per device license.This license may be encrypted and “locked” to a device via a uniquehardware signature (or similar) that is authenticated by Controller 16.This ensures that any device sending a broadcast is known andauthenticated by Controller 16.

As another example, all users of the system may have unique credentials(user identification and password) that may be sent to Controller 16 viathe Device Capabilities and Location link (link A004 of FIG. 1) so thatthe user sending the transmission to the system is also known andauthenticated.

As a further example, all devices with geo-location capability (globalpositioning system, cellular tower triangulation or similar) may sendtheir geo-location information to Controller 16 when this information isavailable. This may allow for authentication and tracking of the devicelocation.

As another example, Controller 16 may incorporate a content providerrating system that allows content consumers and content managers to ratethe quality and performance of the content that is provided by eachcontent provider. Ratings for content providers can be viewed by contentconsumers if they have sufficient authorization on Controller 16. Thisrating system may allow for disputes to be addressed and resolved andensures that high performing content providers are made known to and/orpreferentially selected by content consumers or content managers.

As a further example, Controller 16 may incorporate an audio/videoanalysis subsystem that may analyze the audio and/or the video beingreceived to ensure that it aligns with the expected content. Forexample, still video frames may be matched against a known database ofimages (e.g., Google street view) to ensure that the content location isas a reported. The audio signal may also be analyzed for languagecontent (e.g., German versus English or keyword analysis in a targetlanguage) or for audio signatures (e.g., sirens, the sound of anexplosion or live music) to ensure that the content is what is expected.

As an extension of the scenarios and systems described with reference toFIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a user may view the screens of multiple VideoTransmitting Devices 18 (as per multi-viewer example) and then based onwhat they observe, select one or more of those devices to controlremotely to adjust the settings of the specific Video TransmittingDevice 18 or otherwise modify the characteristics of the video shot. Thecombination of these concepts provides a mechanism for a control room tomanage both inputs and outputs from a single browser window within asingle system.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of various components of a system fortransmission of video data streams and a high-level description of datapassed between components in the context multi-viewer and remote controlfunctions to create a multipoint video distribution system in the cloudaccording to some embodiments.

It may also be desirable for multiple content consumers to receive thesame full rate audio/video stream simultaneously (sometimes referred toas a “pool feed”). This can be advantageously combined with thearchitecture described above for multipoint distribution and remotecontrol.

As an illustrative example scenario, there may be three Broadcasters A,B, and C. Each broadcaster may have one or more transmitters, shown assingle Video Transmitting Devices 20, labeled as Video TransmittingDevices A, B, or C respectively for clarity.

Each of these Broadcasters may have a multi-viewer (as described withreference to FIG. 6) through which they are able to subscribe to eachother's audio/video streams. This visibility may be approved eitherthrough a subscription agreement, or through a third party providing avideo marketplace of available feeds, and would be managed bysubscription rules in Controller 16. In this example scenario, oneBroadcaster (e.g., Broadcaster C) may play the role of the contentprovider and the other plays the role of the contact consumer.

When content is provided, both reduced rate and full rate audio/videostreams may be sent from Video Transmitting Devices 20 to TranscodingFarm 22. In Transcoding Farm 22, the low rate audio/video streams areprovided as previews (see description for FIG. 6). Visibility of lowrate audio/video preview streams may be managed using subscription rulesin Controller 16. If a Broadcaster is authorized to view a low rateaudio/video stream, they may be able to select and view it in theirmulti-viewer. Streams may be organized on different tabs in Browser 10(for different categories, types or sources) so they can be selected andthen appear in the multi-viewer tab (or window) of the Browser.

Device, user, location and audio/video authentication (as outlinedabove) may ensure that the content provided is from a trusted source.

When a low rate audio/video stream is selected, the content provider maybe notified and the payment terms that form part of the subscriptionagreement (and that are managed as outlined in FIG. 6) are enabled. Theselection of a stream may cause Transcoder 24 to enable a high rateaudio/video stream from Transcoder Farm 22 to the particular VideoOutput Device 20 at the content consumer's location.

To ensure consistent performance and controlled latency, each high rateaudio/video stream that is delivered may be managed by a separateTranscoder in the Transcoder Farm. If no changes are required to thevideo format, resolution or other audio/video characteristics similarthe Transcoder may simply manage the buffering of the high rateaudio/video stream to ensure that the latency to a specific end-point iscontrolled.

Through user managed subscription rules on Controller 16, this schemecan be readily extended to the scenario where the content providers areusers providing UGC.

In an embodiment, one or more Transcoders 24 in Transcoder Farm 22 mayeach function as a “proxy” in the cloud that interconnects a Video InputDevice 24 with a particular stream destination, e.g., a Video OutputDevice 24 or any other consumer of an audio/video stream. TranscoderCoder Farm 22 may include a dispatcher that dynamically assignsTranscoders 24 functioning as proxies to particular Video Input Devices24 and particular stream destinations. This assignment may be based onfactors including transcoding requirements, and availability of cloudresources. Transcoder 24 may be a transparent proxy, such that itsoperation and assignment are transparent to Video Output Devices 24 andstream destinations. Resource levels in Transcoder Farm 22 may also bemonitored and controlled, e.g., by Controller 16, and the number ofTranscoders 24 provided in the cloud may be adjusted dynamically.Conveniently, this provides scalability to Transcoder Farm 22, andfacilitates delivery of streams to a large number of streamdestinations.

A set of Transcoders 24 functioning as proxies may be used to providemultipoint distribution as disclosed herein, e.g., with delivery ofstreams to a multiple stream destinations.

In one example configuration of multipoint distribution, Transcoders 24may operate in concert to deliver video streams at a guaranteed fixedlatency to each stream destination. For each stream destination, aTranscoder 24 relays a video stream from a Video Transmitting Device 18to that stream destination, and performs any transcoding required forthat stream destination. Transcoding requirements for a Transcoder 24may depend on the display capabilities of the stream destination or oncharacteristics of the network interconnecting the Transcoder 24 withthe stream destination. Transcoder 24 may also relay any returncommunication from the stream destination to the Video TransmittingDevice 18.

In another example configuration of multiple distribution, at least oneof the stream destinations is designated as a primary destination, whileremaining stream destinations are designated as secondary destinations.Transcoders 24 operate in concert to deliver video streams at aguaranteed fixed latency to the primary destination(s). Meanwhile,delivery of video streams to secondary destinations is performed withouta guaranteed fixed latency. For example, delivery of video streams tosecondary destinations may be performed on best efforts basis, or withadaptive latency. Transcoder 24 may transcode streams as required byeach destination. In some cases, streaming to secondary destinations maynot be in real time. Rather, video data may be delivered to a secondarydestination to be buffered or otherwise stored for subsequent playback.

In some cases, a re-encoded stream may be shared amongst multipleTranscoders 24, such that the same re-encoded stream is sent to multiplestream destinations having the same or similar transcoding requirements.As will be appreciated, this reduces computational load on TranscoderFarm 22 as some repetition of transcoding may be avoided.

Accordingly, embodiments described herein may relate to contentgeneration, live transmission to either hosted or private servers withmanagement and control by controller components.

Referring now to FIG. 9, there is shown a schematic diagram of a System100 for transmitting data streams according to some embodiments. Asdepicted, System 100 may include Video Transmitting Devices 18, aController 116, a Browser 10, Transcoders 24, and Video Output Devices20 coupled via a network (e.g. the Internet or Network 26 of FIG. 2).These components are described in detail herein. Video TransmittingDevices 18 (via Transcoders 24, or directly) may transmit and metadatato Controller 116 and receive instructions, notifications, and routinginformation from Controller 116. These are non-limiting example dataexchanges for illustrative purposes.

Controller 116 may include a Monitoring and Control Component 118, aCommand and Control Portal 120, and an Access Rights Manager 122.Controller 116 may transmit and receive monitoring and controlinformation to and from Browser 10. Controller 116 is otherwisesubstantially similar to Controller 16.

Video Transmitting Devices 18 may transmit content to Video OutputDevices 20 and Browser 10 via Transcoders 24. The Video Output Devicesmay include hosted servers and private servers specific to contentconsumers. The servers may provide the content to different contentconsumers via CDN, SDI, Ethernet, SAT DVB-S2, etc. These arenon-limiting examples for illustrative purposes.

In accordance with some embodiments, the systems and methods may enablereal-time monetization or compensation for live video and audio datastreams, for both amateur and professional videographers.

The proliferation of cameras and recording/broadcastingsoftware/solutions is leading to a situation where hundreds of camerasmay be present at an event and recording. Of those cameras only one ortwo may be newsworthy (due to clarity of the image, framing, content).Multiply that by the number of events that occur even in a single cityon any given day, and the number of streams that must be managed isastronomical. In accordance with some embodiments, the systems andmethods may provide multi-viewer and selection for broadcast, along withremote control.

Unknown reputations and random content make it difficult for a newsdirector to commit to live video from amateur videographers. By creatinga marketplace where content creators can become known for their quality,and, more importantly, be associated with the videos they produce, itbecomes possible to provide some level of assurance of video quality. Inaccordance with some embodiments, the systems and methods may provideauthentication of content providers.

There are multiple sources of information that can be used to describe avideo stream in order to locate desired video content. Preference may begiven to those forms of information that are collected automatically,without additional requirements from the camera operator/subscriber.Algorithm data and cryptographic signatures may be used to validateand/or verify a video stream. Based on the generated information, andadditional data provided by the operator so that a video stream becomessearchable by news directors, and can be linked to relevant stories.Built-in GPS devices may record time and physical location of the camera(e.g. Video Transmitting Device) at the time of stream capture.Capabilities in some cameras also allow the software to calculate thedirection the camera is pointing. Location (geo location obtained viaGPS, cellular tower triangulation or other means) searching can be usedto locate relevant content.

Content Tags may be used to locate relevant content. The content tagsmay be generated via speech to text (e.g. voice recognition softwareeither locally or server based processes received vocals and parses themfor content/tags), ambient noise to text (e.g. software parses thereceived audio stream and translates sounds as text). In combinationwith the voice recognition, the resulting descriptive text could be usedto identify the track, route based on keywords, or even supplement theclosed captioning system. Content tags may be generated by text entry todescribe the video where the operator may supply content tags. Contenttags may be generated via image recognition to video description toidentify content of video frames and convert to text descriptions.

The video and audio data stream may be linked with an identifier of thevideo source. The device, account the data is submitted under, the nameof the camera operator, or a combination thereof may be encoded into thevideo stream as a watermark (or invisibly through steganography). Overtime, an account/content generator may gain prestige either generallythrough a global ranking (public 95% content approval rating) andindividually (white list, black list, internal/private station ranking).

There may be infinite number of possible video streams to select from,and these identification mechanisms may be used to identify relevantcontent. There may be a limited number of outputs in the station. Astation may select appropriate content based on time, location, contenttags, source, trustworthiness, etc. A search mechanism may allow a newsdirector to narrow down the content to a manageable list using the aboveparameters on a weighted scale. There may be social network integrationto track trends on social networks to identify current newsworthy/trending topics and, based on that information, build a list ofranked available content. As topics trend higher, matching video mayfollow through the UI. There may be a mechanism to reward amateurproviders (free airtime, tickets/prizes, cash, etc.) and pay freelancingprofessionals (cash).

Using a downloadable application, a user can connect to System 100,either as a freelancer or as an invited station guest. Freelancers mayhave their own account, set their own prices, and own/direct theircontent to the highest bidder. Guest streams may only be accessible bythe hosting station only, and may be, in effect, a downloadabletemporary license. The news director selects content for internalviewing, and may make video more publically available, either within thestation group, or to the world at large or some subset in between. Thenews director may also responsible for assigning a trust level to guestcontent. A guest device may be blacklisted by a station, preventing thatguest/device from acquiring another license and submitting video to thatstation until the issue is cleared. Guest streams may be limited bytime, geo-location, or other parameters set by the news director. System100 may provide stations with a branded application for VideoTransmitting Devices 18, identifying that application as belonging to agiven station (to reduce confusion if a user happens to be a guest ofmore than one station). It may be up to the station/news director todetermine how guests are compensated. Given the expense to upload video,there may be some requirement(s) to manage bandwidth. A guest may startuploading or sending live in low bit-rate initially, and if selected forbroadcast by the news director, transition the stream to full-rate (andbegin to compensate appropriately). Station directors may submitinstructions to their guests, requesting them to move, cover a differenttarget or other feedback via remote controls (as described above).

Command and Control Portal 120 which may be part of Controller 116 andcan be accessed via a web browser (e.g., Browser 10) may provide visualfeedback on guest groupings (at an event), including where available,the current recording direction. In some circumstances, it may bedesirable to support a sort of reservation/availability solution, whereinstead of a guest immediately recording video and submitting it live,they may instead indicate their location and willingness to providevideo. If permission to record is granted, the session may be enabled.This may also tie in directly with the ability to compensate or rewardguests for valuable video.

Joining a stream may imply that the news director has agreed to theterms and/or conditions set by the freelancer. The news director is freeto negotiate further terms (exclusivity for instance) once they join thestream. Once a station director has joined a stream (guest orfreelance), they may be able to send (text) data to the generatorrequesting changes and/or providing feedback (turn the microphone up,etc.) as described herein.

Money to operate the service may be generated by taking a portion of thetransaction fees paid from the news directors to the freelancers and/ora direct payment from the studio(s) to manage/provide licences to theirguest subscribers.

System 100 may maintain a global ranking system based on feedback fromstations and consumers of content regarding: stream quality (both interms of content, and broadcast readiness), appropriate labelling (doesthe content provided match what the videographer's description),professionalism (verified credentials, etc.), and so on. Integrationwith social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.) may allow themarketplace to provide trending information relevant to currentavailable/active streams.

Live streams may also be recorded for later access/consumption byinterested parties. Content creators may be responsible for managingtheir archive. The service may provide a limited quantity of freestorage space. The service may also provide storage space for a fee(subscription or one time).

Content creators may be free to license their streams to as many or asfew as they desire.

The marketplace may support a wide variety of content licences. Streamsmay be marked as freely available, limited (such a creative commonslicense—available with restrictions on use), or restricted (requiringcompensation or an agreement for access).

Content, once received by the system servers may be delivered to thestudio systems by a variety of means: SDI (e.g. a standard direct BNCconnection into the station ingest directly from the server), CDN(content delivery network(s) wherein one or more organizations may begeared to providing high volume data to subscribers over the Internet),Ethernet TS (also known as Video over IP, a MPEG-2 transport streamencapsulated for delivery over an IP based network, where video streamdata packets are delivered directly to the studio's systems, DVB-S2(Digital Video Broadcasting Satellite Second Generation, making use of asatellite hop to transport an MPEG stream), and the like. The pluralityof network connections of System 100 may include one or more orcellular, satellite, microwave, and wired Ethernet connections.

Throughout the foregoing discussion, numerous references are maderegarding servers, services, interfaces, portals, platforms, or othersystems formed from computing devices. It should be appreciated that theuse of such terms is deemed to represent one or more computing deviceshaving at least one processor configured to execute softwareinstructions stored on a computer readable tangible, non-transitorymedium. For example, a server can include one or more computersoperating as a web server, database server, or other type of computerserver in a manner to fulfill described roles, responsibilities, orfunctions. One should further appreciate the disclosed computer-basedalgorithms, processes, methods, or other types of instruction sets canbe embodied as a computer program product comprising a non-transitory,tangible computer readable media storing the instructions that cause aprocessor to execute the disclosed steps. One should appreciate that theembodiments described herein may provide various technical effects suchas controlling video transmitting devices and quality of contenttransmitted thereby, selecting content and video transmitting devicesfrom a large amount, scaling video transmission and processing,efficiently using and managing network and computing resources,authenticating of content and devices, management of compensation forcontent, efficiently encoding and transmitting video, and other exampletechnical effects as described herein.

The foregoing discussion provides many example embodiments of theinventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a singlecombination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter isconsidered to include all possible combinations of the disclosedelements. Thus if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and asecond embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subjectmatter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A,B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.

As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term“coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which twoelements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirectcoupling (in which at least one additional element is located betweenthe two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with”are used synonymously.

The embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may beimplemented in hardware or software, or a combination of both. Theseembodiments may be implemented in computer programs executing onprogrammable computers, each computer including at least one processor,a data storage system (including volatile memory or non-volatile memoryor other data storage elements or a combination thereof), and at leastone communication interface. For example, and without limitation, thevarious programmable computers may be a server, network appliance,set-top box, embedded device, computer expansion module, personalcomputer, laptop, personal data assistant, cellular telephone,smartphone device, UMPC tablets and wireless hypermedia device or anyother computing device capable of being configured to carry out themethods described herein.

Program code is applied to input data to perform the functions describedherein and to generate output information. The output information isapplied to one or more output devices, in known fashion. In someembodiments, the communication interface may be a network communicationinterface. In embodiments in which elements are combined, thecommunication interface may be a software communication interface, suchas those for inter-process communication (IPC). In still otherembodiments, there may be a combination of communication interfacesimplemented as hardware, software, and combination thereof.

Each program may be implemented in a high level procedural or objectoriented programming or scripting language, or both, to communicate witha computer system. However, alternatively the programs may beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. The languagemay be a compiled or interpreted language. Each such computer programmay be stored on a storage media or a device (e.g., ROM, magnetic disk,optical disc), readable by a general or special purpose programmablecomputer, for configuring and operating the computer when the storagemedia or device is read by the computer to perform the proceduresdescribed herein. Embodiments of the system may also be considered to beimplemented as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium,configured with a computer program, where the storage medium soconfigured causes a computer to operate in a specific and predefinedmanner to perform the functions described herein.

Furthermore, the systems and methods of the described embodiments arecapable of being distributed in a computer program product including aphysical, non-transitory computer readable medium that bears computerusable instructions for one or more processors. The medium may beprovided in various forms, including one or more diskettes, compactdisks, tapes, chips, magnetic and electronic storage media, volatilememory, non-volatile memory and the like. Non-transitorycomputer-readable media may include all computer-readable media, withthe exception being a transitory, propagating signal. The termnon-transitory is not intended to exclude computer readable media suchas primary memory, volatile memory, RAM and so on, where the data storedthereon may only be temporarily stored. The computer useableinstructions may also be in various forms, including compiled andnon-compiled code.

It will be appreciated that numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not toobscure the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, this descriptionis not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodimentsdescribed herein in any way, but rather as merely describingimplementation of the various embodiments described herein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for real-time transmission of datastreams comprising: a video transmitting device comprising: at least onenetwork interface and configured to generate and transmit via the atleast one network interface at least: (i) a first data stream, the firstdata stream for providing to a browser and (ii) a second data stream,the first data stream and the second data stream generated based on asame captured video stream, the second data stream having a higherbitrate relative to the first data stream, the second data streamshifted in time relative to both the captured video stream and the firstdata stream; a processor for communicating control signals to the videotransmitting device, the processor configured to: receive, from thebrowser, data representing at least one stream parameter and identifyinga number of frames transmitted and a number of acknowledgementindications, each of the acknowledgement indications provided when aframe is received at a destination; determine a difference between thenumber of acknowledgement indications and the number of framestransmitted; generate electronic instructions based at least on thereceived data, the electronic instructions for: causing modification ofat least one generation or transmission factor associated with at leastone of the first data stream and the second data stream based at leastin part on the at least one stream parameter and causing the videotransmitting device to (i) decrease a transmission framerate when thedifference between the number of acknowledgement indications and thenumber of frames transmitted is greater than a predefined number, and(ii) increase a transmission framerate when the difference between thenumber of acknowledgement indications and the number of framestransmitted is less than a predefined number, wherein the decrease orincrease of the transmission framerate is performed in accordance with astepwise integer decimation of an initial transmission framerate; andcommunicate the electronic instructions to the video transmittingdevice, the video transmitting device configured for receiving theelectronic instructions and modifying the at least one generation ortransmission factor in the generation or transmission of at least one ofthe first data stream and the second data stream; wherein themodification of the at least one generation or transmission factorchanges a bitrate of at least one of the first data stream and thesecond data stream thereby changing a utilization of transmissionbandwidth shared between the transmission of first data stream and thetransmission second data stream via the at least one network interface.2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first data stream comprises asequence of digital images encoded in an image file format, and eachdigital image of the sequence of digital images is temporally spaced outfrom one another.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second datastream comprises a full rate data stream including both (i) video dataand (ii) audio data.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: oneor more transcoders adapted to transcode at least one of the first datastream and the second data stream received from the video transmittingdevice, and wherein the processor is further adapted to receive one ormore transcoder performance feedback indications from the one or moretranscoders; and the electronic instructions communicated to the videotransmitting device are generated by the processor based at least inpart on the one or more transcoder performance feedback indications. 5.The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further adapted togenerate a second set of electronic instructions to the one or moretranscoders to cause the modification of one or more characteristics ofthe one or more transcoders, including at least one of (i) a number oftranscoders operating in the one or more transcoders, and (ii) selectingat least one transcoder of the one or more transcoders to process aload.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more transcoderperformance feedback indications include at least one of (i) performanceindicators, (ii) computing load information, (iii) memory loadinformation, and (iv) network parameters associated with at least onetranscoder of the one or more transcoders.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the one or more transmission quality factors include at leastone of bandwidth, frame rate, bit rate, compression, resolution, colordepth, encoding scheme, and modulation scheme.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the first data stream is adapted for providing a low bandwidthpreview for use with the browser and the second data stream is adaptedfor providing a high bandwidth signal for use with an end locationconfigured for content distribution.
 9. The system of claim 1, whereinthe first data stream and the second data stream are transmittedsimultaneously by the video transmitting device.
 10. The system of claim1, wherein at least one of the first data stream and the second datastream is transmitted over a bonded connection.
 11. The system of claim1, wherein the processor is adapted to receive control data from thebrowser and to transmit the control data to the video transmittingdevice to remotely control the video transmitting device.
 12. The systemof claim 1, wherein the received control data is received from a controlroom monitoring a plurality of video transmitting devices.
 13. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the predefined number is one number selectedfrom the group consisting of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and
 10. 14.The system of claim 1, wherein the increase in transmission framerate orthe decrease in transmission framerate is provided through sequentiallyincreasing or decreasing steps.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein theincrease in transmission framerate or the decrease in transmissionframerate is provided through a continuous increasing or decreasing ofthe transmission framerate.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the atleast one stream parameter includes at least one parameter from thegroup consisting of: a framerate, a resolution, and a data rate.
 17. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to, responsive tothe one or more transcoder performance feedback indications, generatecontrol signals to dynamically modify a number of transcoders of the oneor more transcoders based on demand for computing resources.
 18. Adevice for communicating control signals to a video transmitter adaptedto generate and transmit at least: (i) a first data stream, the firstdata stream for providing to a browser and (ii) a second data stream,the first data stream and the second data stream generated based on asame captured video stream, the second data stream having a higherbitrate relative to the first data stream, the second data streamshifted in time relative to both the captured video stream and the firstdata stream, the device comprising: a network interface controllerincluding at least one processor, the network interface controller inelectronic communication with one or more transcoders, the browser, andthe video transmitting device, the network interface controllerconfigured to: receive, from a browser, data representing at least onestream parameter and identifying a number of frames transmitted and anumber of acknowledgement indications, each of the acknowledgementindications provided when a frame is received at a destination;determine a difference between the number of acknowledgement indicationsand the number of frames transmitted generate electronic instructionsbased at least on the received data, the electronic instructions forcausing modification of at least one generation or transmission factorassociated with at least one of the first data stream and the seconddata stream based at least in part on the at least one stream parameterand causing the video transmitting device to (i) decrease a transmissionframerate when the difference between the number of acknowledgementindications and the number of frames transmitted is greater than apredefined number, and (ii) increase a transmission framerate when thedifference between the number of acknowledgement indications and thenumber of frames transmitted is less than a predefined number, whereinthe decrease or increase of the transmission framerate is performed inaccordance with a stepwise integer decimation of an initial transmissionframerate; and communicate the electronic instructions to the videotransmitting device, the video transmitting device configured forreceiving the electronic instructions and modifying the at least onegeneration or transmission factor in the generation or transmission ofat least one of the first data stream and the second data stream;wherein the modification of the at least one generation or transmissionfactor changes a bitrate of at least one of the first data stream andthe second data stream thereby changing a utilization of transmissionbandwidth shared between the transmission of first data stream and thetransmission second data stream.
 19. The device of claim 18, wherein theprocessor is located in or proximate to the browser.
 20. The device ofclaim 18, wherein the processor is located in or proximate to the one ormore transcoders.
 21. The device of claim 18, wherein the processor islocated in or proximate to the video transmitting device.
 22. Acomputer-implemented method for real-time transmission of data streamsfrom a video transmitting device adapted to generate and transmit atleast: (i) a first data stream, the first data stream for providing to abrowser and (ii) a second data stream, the first data stream and thesecond data stream generated based on a same captured video stream, thesecond data stream having a higher bitrate relative to the first datastream, the second data stream shifted in time relative to both thecaptured video stream and the first data stream, the method comprising:receiving, from a browser, data representing at least one streamparameters and identifying a number of frames transmitted and a numberof acknowledgement indications, each of the acknowledgement indicationsprovided when a frame is received at a destination; determining adifference between the number of acknowledgement indications and thenumber of frames transmitted; generating, by a processor, electronicinstructions based at least on the received data, the electronicinstructions for causing modification of at least one generation ortransmission factor associated with at least one of the first datastream and the second data stream based at least in part on the at leastone stream parameter and for causing the video transmitting device to(i) decrease a transmission framerate when the difference between thenumber of acknowledgement indications and the number of framestransmitted is greater than a predefined number, and (ii) increase atransmission framerate when the difference between the number ofacknowledgement indications and the number of frames transmitted is lessthan a predefined number, wherein the decrease or increase of thetransmission framerate is performed in accordance with a stepwiseinteger decimation of an initial transmission framerate; andcommunicating, by the processor, the electronic instructions to thevideo transmitting device, the video transmitting device configured forreceiving the electronic instructions and modifying the at least onegeneration or transmission factor in the transmission of at least one ofthe first data stream and the second data stream; wherein themodification of the at least one generation or transmission factorchanges a bitrate of at least one of the first data stream and thesecond data stream thereby changing a utilization of transmissionbandwidth shared between the transmission of first data stream and thetransmission second data stream.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein thefirst data stream comprises a sequence of digital images encoded in animage file format, and each digital image of the sequence of digitalimages is temporally spaced out from one another.
 24. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the second data stream comprises a full rate datastream including both (i) video data and (ii) audio data.
 25. The methodof claim 22, further comprising: receiving one or more transcoderperformance feedback indications from one or more transcoders adapted totranscode data streams received from the video transmitting device; andwherein the electronic instructions communicated to the videotransmitting device are generated by the processor based at least inpart on the one or more transcoder performance feedback indications. 26.The method of claim 25, further comprising: generating a second set ofelectronic instructions to the one or more transcoders to cause themodification of one or more characteristics of the one or moretranscoders, including at least one of (i) a number of transcodersoperating in the one or more transcoders, and (ii) selecting at leastone transcoder of the one or more transcoders to process a load.
 27. Themethod of claim 22, wherein the increase in transmission framerate orthe decrease in transmission framerate is provided through sequentiallyincreasing or decreasing steps.
 28. A non-transitory computer-readablemedia containing instructions, the instructions when executed on aprocessor coupled to a video transmitting device adapted to generate andtransmit at least: (i) a first data stream, the first data stream forproviding to a browser and (ii) a second data stream, the first datastream and the second data stream generated based on a same capturedvideo stream, the second data stream having a higher bitrate relative tothe first data stream, the second data stream shifted in time relativeto both the captured video stream and the first data stream, cause theprocessor to perform the steps of: receiving, from a browser, datarepresenting at least one stream parameter and identifying a number offrames transmitted and a number of acknowledgement indications, each ofthe acknowledgement indications provided when a frame is received at adestination; determining a difference between the number ofacknowledgement indications and the number of frames transmitted;generating electronic instructions based at least on the received data,the electronic instructions for causing modification of at least onegeneration or transmission factor associated with at least one of thefirst data stream and the second data stream based at least in part onthe at least one stream parameter and for causing the video transmittingdevice to (i) decrease a transmission framerate when the differencebetween the number of acknowledgement indications and the number offrames transmitted is greater than a predefined number, and (ii)increase a transmission framerate when the difference between the numberof acknowledgement indications and the number of frames transmitted isless than a predefined number, wherein the decrease or increase of thetransmission framerate is performed in accordance with a stepwiseinteger decimation of an initial transmission framerate; andcommunicating the electronic instructions to the video transmittingdevice, the video transmitting device configured for receiving theelectronic instructions and modifying the at least one generation ortransmission factor in the generation or transmission of at least one ofthe first data stream and the second data stream; wherein themodification of the at least one generation or transmission factorchanges a bitrate of at least one of the first data stream and thesecond data stream thereby changing a utilization of transmissionbandwidth shared between the transmission of first data stream and thetransmission second data stream.
 29. The non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 28, wherein the instructions whenexecuted on a processor cause the processor to further perform the stepsof: receiving one or more transcoder performance feedback indicationsfrom one or more transcoders adapted to transcode data streams receivedfrom the video transmitting device; wherein the electronic instructionscommunicated to the video transmitting device are generated by theprocessor based at least in part on the one or more transcoderperformance feedback indications; and generating a second set ofelectronic instructions to the one or more transcoders to cause themodification of one or more characteristics of the one or moretranscoders, including at least one of (i) a number of transcodersoperating in the one or more transcoders, and (ii) load balancing asbetween individual transcoders of the one or more transcoders.